Anode bar jack



Feb. 22, 1949. c. J. KLEIN 2,462,506

ANODE BAR JACK Filed Feb. 10, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l l, w g

IBVIVENTOR {67 Z/arenaed/f/ah Feb. 22, 1949. c J. KLEIN 2,462,506

ANODE BAR JACK Filed Feb. 10, 1944 4 SheetsQ-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C hrs/769.1 /e/77 I/MI mjaaavafiw Feh'ZZ, 1949. b. J. KLEIN ANODE BAR JACK 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 10, 1944 INVEN TOR C Ere/7a? 1 A7670 Feb. 22, 1949., c. J. KLEIN 2,462,506

ANODE BAR JACK Filed Feb. 10, 1944 4 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 fig. 8.

INVENTOR Gare/Iced K/e/h 4 4 w M (974% Patented Feb. 22, 1949 ANODE BAR- JACK Clarence], Klein, Hollidays Cove, W. Va., ass'ign or "to National Steel Corporation a corporation of Delaware Application February 10, 1921a, Serial .No. 5213795 lClaim. 3.

This invention relates generally to electro 'plating apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for manipulating the anode bars of electrodeposition apparatus. In the ensuing specification my invention is described :indetail as applied to the movement of the anodes in anelectrolytic-tinning line for .manutacturing tin gplate. However, it will he quite apparent that my invention is not limited to such use and that it may he used to advantage in many installations where it is desirable to intermittently or continuously move one 'or a plurality of elements such as anode bars along supports.

.In one process of continuously tinning steel strip by electrodeposition, such as that disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 487,758, which E. W. Rieger and I filed on May 2:), .1943, and which issued as Patent No. 2,3993%, bars :of tin are placed side Joy side .in an electrolyte tank below the path of the strip and are advanced progressively from one side toward the other along inclined guides. With this arrange-- ment, the tin of the anode hers is dissolved principally from the upper surface thereof and deposited on the strip, the thickness of the bars decreasing with the length of their immersion inthe electrolyte. It is for this reason that the guides are inclined upwardly to maintain substantially a constant spacing between the upper surfaces of theibars and the strip. A new bar is deposited on the entering :side whenever the bars previously placed on the guides have been advanced far enough to make room for it.

My invention comprises means adapted to .be disposed on the side of the tank and "mover la from one tank to another for applying a thrust or push to the last 'har'deposited in any particular row of anode bars, thereby moving all the bars in the row along the supporting guides. In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a housing having 'a base and a thrust member mounted therein for extension and retract-ion. The thrust member extends inwardly from the housing over the side of the'tank andis'provided f Figure 1-1 issa partialplan View of an electrolyte tank having the invention applied thereto;

figure :2 is a partial section taken along the plane of. line ill-II of Figure .1;

Figure .3 is a partial side elevation such :as would be observedhy looking :on the structureof Figure 2 from the left;

Figure :4 is a plan view showingth'e device of myinvention tosenlarged scale, removed ;from the electrolyte tank;

.Figure 5 is a partial :hOriZon'a'l ssectionstaken alongthe plane of line V-Vof'Eigure 2, thee'lectrolyte :tankkbeing emitted;

Figure 6 is a plan yiew of the electrolyte tank with which "my invention is adapted :to I be used, showing ,two i'ILllLFSEtd-df anode bars in position therein;

.a'Eligure"? isa gpartial'longitndinal section taken along the .plane of line VII-VH:of Figure 6; and,

iFigure8lis a transverse section taken along thesplaneof line of .Figure 6.

Referring now :in :detail to 'the drawings, a tank lflwhich is one of a'series forming. atinning line, is fabricated from plates and sheathed with rubber or other material :which islnot subiect to attack by the :electrolyte employed. The tank includes side walls :I I., end walls 12 and-secondary side walls 13 forming overflow troughs M on each side of the tank. .An electrolyte is circulated icontinuously through -:the:t'anl being :sup plied througha central inlet 15 and being delivered .iromt the troughs IE to a collecting tray ifizt-hrough overflow connections lil. Bafiles :l8 and IS in the tankcontrol the flow of electrolyte therein. The "ihafiles l8 and i8 sare y fabrisated from :plates and covered with protective sheathing Anode bars 1119 are disposed side by side across the \gidth of the :tank in two thanks, as shown in Figure .6. ifihe ends of the 333.1 5 rest on guides :20 .and 21 which slope wupwardly as shown .in Figure 8. The guides 29 18,-1'6 hox-sectiongmein bersifaiericated iroingplate and PKQJGEC- tive sheathing of rubber thereon. The guides 21 are slabs of hard carbon resting .inetal bars .22 preferably of :"tin. :A spacer stri 24c disnosed .on the guide 524 separates the anode bars of the two banks. .1A terminal 23 extends upwardlyfmm the bar v22 adjacent one-sidenoi'the tank for connection to a suitable source of current. The anode ibars iaregplaced on the guides 2i and 2 I i-and'iprogressively moved .therealong as the metal is removed from the upper surfaces of ;-thebars. fllhey are advanced alongthe guides to .maintain a substantially constant spacing 3 from the strip being coated. The normal position of the strip is shown at 24' and the direction of travel is indicated by the arrow 25 in Figure 6.

The apparatus of my invention which is intended particularly for use on an electrolytic tank, such as that described above, is indicated generally at 26. It comprises a housing 21 having a base 28. Supporting feet 29 extend downwardly from the base and housing and are adapted to rest in a bracket 36 in the form of an angle bar secured to the side wall II of the tank on the operators side thereof. The jack 26 is confined against movement along the side .of the tank by spaced positioning lugs a secured inside the angle bracket 30. As shown in Figure 1, the device 26 which is the nature of a jack, extends inwardly of the side wall of the tank. A bearing pad 3| secured to the inner end of the base 28 rests on the secondary side wall l3. The housing and base may be fabricated from plate and structural shapes. The housing includes spaced side walls 32, a top 32a and a gauge plate 33. The top and gauge plate have longitudinal slots therein for a purpose which will appear presently. The gauge plate is slidable on the top and may be secured in adjusted position by a clamping screw 32b. It will be understood that the jack 26 is removably supported in overhanging relation with the side of the tank by the feet 29 and the bearing pad 3|. It may be quickly removed by means of a lifting handle 35 secured to the top 32a and moved to any desired bank of anode bars in the line.

A thrust member in the form of a'slide or pusher bar 35 is movable longitudinally in the housing 21 and along the base 28. A yoke 31 secured to the base adjacent the bearing pad 3i guides the outer end of the slide 36. The slide has a longitudinal vertical slot 38 therethrough and a tapped hole is provided in the outer end to receive the inner end of a screw shaft 39 journaled in a bearing block 46 secured in the outer end of the housing 21. The shaft 39 has a thrust collar 4| on the inner side of the bearing 40 and a hand crank 42 pinned thereto on the outer side of the bearing. It will thus be apparent that, by turning the crank 42, the slide 36 may be advanced from or retracted into the housing 21.

An index 43 extends through the slot 34 in the gauge plate 33 and is mounted on the outer end of the slide 36. The index cooperates with arrow points :34 on the gauge plate to indicate the position of the slide at any time, relative 'to'the extreme limits of its movement.

At the inner end of the thrust member or slide 36 a bracket 45 is pivotally mounted by means ofa hinge bolt 46 extending through spaced lugs 41 secured to the bracket. As shown in Figure 2, the bracket 45 extends downwardly and inwardly from the end of the slide. By means of adjusting screws 48 threaded through opposite sides of the upper end of the bracket 45 for engagement with a bearing plate 49 secured to the end of the slide, the bracket may be shifted to a selected angular position relative to the slide for a purpose which will be explained'later. A

bearing member or pusher bar 50 is secured to r the lower end of the bracket 35 and has rounded vertical ribs 5! at its ends for engagement with the side of the last anode bar 59 placed on the guides 20 and 2 I, as shown in Figure 2.

The manner of using the device of my invention will 'now be briefly explained although it is fairly apparent from the foregoing description. The jack 26 is normally disposed inoperating position on the side of the tank It), as shown in Figures 1 through 3. The crank 42 is given a few turns periodically to slide the anode bars l9 along their upwardly inclined guides sufficiently to maintain the desired constant spacing between the top surfaces of the bars and the strip being coated. When the last bar placed on the guides has been advanced approximately to the position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 2, the slide 36 and the bearing member 50 are retracted by reverse rotation of the screw shaft 39 and the entire jack is preferably removed from the tank to provide ample room for placing an additional anode bar on the guides. This may conveniently be done by any suitable form of crane. When the added bar has been placed on the guides, the jack 26 is replaced and the slide and bearing member thereof advanced by rotation of the crank 42 and the screw shaft 39 until the bearing member engages the added anode bar. Continued rotation of the screw shaft forces the added bar into snug engagement with the last bar previously placed and further rotation of the crank and screw shaft from time to time will successively advance the entire bank of bars progressively in the manner already described. Successive positions of the added anode bar and the bearing member 50 are illustrated in chain lines in Figure 2.

With the disposition of anode bars shown in Figure 6, the travel of the strip is parallel to the length of the bars. \Slight striations in the tin coating applied to the strip may result from the fact that the amount of tin deposited in the portion of the strip width opposite the bars themselves is slightly heavier than the amount deposited on portions of the strip opposite the spaces between adjacent bars. For this reason, it may be advisable to have the bars move along their guides in a position at an oblique angle to their path of movement instead of normal thereto as illustrated. To this end, the bearing member 56 is adjusted to a position making an angle slightly less than with the slide by backing off one of the adjusting screws 48 and turning up the other one. As a result, the anode bars will traverse the width of the tank in positions at an oblique angle to the path of the strip. Any point on the width of the strip will thus lie opposite the space between. adjacent anode bars only for a very short time and is opposite the bars themselves for a greater portion of the time so that the thickness of the deposited coating is quite uniform over the entire strip width.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides a simple and easily actuated means for positively moving the banks of anode bar-s progressively. It will be understood that a separate jack is preferably provided for each bank of anode bars but a single jack may, if desired, be shifted from one bank to another as required. The jack may easily be removed to facilitate the placing of additional anode bars. The position of the index relative'to the arrow point-s shown clearly when it is time to place another bar on the guides, even though the bars already placed are concealed by the strip traveling thereover. The pivotal mounting of the bearing member and the adjusting screws therefor make it possible to obtain the advantage of feeding the anode bars along the guides in angular relation to the travel of the strip. The use of a screw shaft for actuating the thrust member makes it possible to advance the banks of 5 the bars by very small increments as required by the gradual transfer of the metal of the bars to the strip being coated.

While the invention has been described in connection with a tinning line, it is equally useful in electrolytic coating lines for electroplating a coating of zinc or other metal onto steel strip or strip of some other metal.

Although I have illustrated and described only a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without varying the principle of my invention, within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A jack comprising a base, a slide movable longitudinally along the base, means carried on the base for reciprocably moving the slide therealong, a pusher head movable by the slide, said head comprising an arm having one end thereof pivotally carried by the slide and the other end thereof extending below said base, a bearing head carried by said arm below the base and means for adjusting the bearing head angularly with respect to the slide, and a plurality of bearing members for supporting the base and the parts carried thereby.

CLARENCE J. KLEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 251,415 Crecelius Dec. 27, 1881 378,681 Hermite Feb. 28, 1888 444,140 Sergeant Jan. 6, 1891 572,636 Hewes Dec. 8, 1896 610,044 Glenn Aug. 30, 1898 1,697,894 Wright Jan. 8, 1929 1,748,948 Gassen Mar. 4, 1930 1,815,666 Cook July 21, 1931 1,941,378 Andrew Dec. 26, 1933 2,043,140 Wilmesherr June 2, 1936 2,047,887 Robillard July 14, 1936 2,187,233 Scheutz Jan. 16, 1940 2,293,745 Kruse Aug. 25, 1942 2,312,452 Taylerson Mar. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 652,185 France Mar. 15, 1929 

